Turkey expands Kurdish rights

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- The Turkish government announced Friday its plan help end the quarter-century-long conflict with a Kurdish separatist movement, the New York Times said.

Turkey's plan to end the conflict, which has led to over 40,000 deaths, will include the expansion of Kurdish rights and the inclusion of the Kurdish language in Turkey media, the Daily Star said.

The plan will be debated in Parliament, where some opposition exists from the Republican People's Party, the Daily Star said.

For decades, Kurdish political parties were banned and the Kurdish
ethnic identity was unacknowledged by the government, even though Kurds
make up 15 percent of the nation's population, The New York Times said.

Last year, Parliament approved a democracy package that included approved private Kurdish language classes and a public Kurdish television channel, the NEw York Times said.